At the centre of the cove is the Pilot Gig Club. It is based in the old lifeboat house for nearly 100 years before it closed in 1963. A board in the entrance to the Old Cellars lists the rescues carried out by the Cadgwith Lifeboat.

On most evenings from May to September the gig teams practice. There are open sessions on Sunday mornings, for anyone interested to join in.

We have finished refurbishing our building (aided by a Heritage Lottery Grant), donations to funds are always welcome.

Our gigs are "Buller", "Socoa" and "Rose of Cadgwith"

The first of Cadgwith's gigs is the "Buller". "Buller" was built by the Devoran Shipwright, Ralph Bird in 1986. She is a copy of the famous gig "Treffry". She got her name from a local, Richard Redvers Arthur, otherwise known as Buller.

The second of the gigs came along in the form of "Socoa". Built in 1990 by John Moore of Mevagissey. "Socoa" was built as a sailing ship, but is now used for rowing. She was named after a French sailing ship that got stranded off the Cadgwith coast in 1907.

The last of the Cadgwith gigs is dedicated in memory of two local Cadgwith fishermen, Tony Culmer and Peter Williams, whose fishing vessel, the "Karen Marie" sank off the Cadgwith Cove in 1994. The "Rose of Cadgwith" was built in 1994 and is currently the main racing gig of Cadgwith. Cadgwith commemorate the lives of Peter and Tony by holding races between the Cadgwith crews, the Peter and Tony races.

A gig, or pilot gig, is a 32 feet long clinker-built rowing boat with six rowers and a cox. Although many new boats have been built in recent years, some have survived since the early 19th century and are still in use.

The original gigs were used to take pilots out to sailing ships as they approached the Isles of Scilly or coast of Cornwall. The first pilot aboard the ship got the job, so the gigs evolved into very fast seagoing rowing boats.

There are many gig clubs around Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Devon and there are even some overseas.